NASA Officials Promise To Continue Artemis Program Regardless Of Budget Written 16 December 2019

Space News reported that “NASA leadership” is working on keeping its plan to return humans to the moon by 2024 “on track even if the agency doesn’t get all the funding it’s requested.” While current House and Senate funding bills would provide NASA with funding similar to the $21 billion it originally requested, neither bill includes complete funding “for work on a human lunar lander.” At a Dec. 10 interview during the third annual SpaceNews Awards for Excellence & Innovation, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said, “There are ways we can continue moving forward. ... We can actually continue funding activities for human landing systems.” However, Bridenstine acknowledged, “how those programs could be adapted to support Artemis was something that would have to be carefully studied.” NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations Doug Loverro said, “I refuse to go ahead and use funding as a crutch for not making it to the moon by 2024.”
Full Story (Space News)